


Roses Are Red

by peppermintpeony (coloringwitheyeliner)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, POV Second Person, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 10:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13634424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloringwitheyeliner/pseuds/peppermintpeony
Summary: John's puking up red roses.





	Roses Are Red

It started a long time ago.

In fact, you weren’t really sure when it started. You just remembered waking up one morning, red rose petals forcing themselves up and out through your mouth, littering your bed sheets and forcing you up into the bathroom, where you stood, one hand over your mouth and the other clutching the sink.

You weren’t even sure when you began to love Dave like that. It didn’t matter. You just knew that now your daily routine had changed to accommodate the flowers, whenever they decided they needed to bloom.

Your days often consisted of running to the bathroom wherever, whenever, brushing it off as having a weak stomach to your friends and family. They believed you, and it was easy to get by without revealing what was happening to anyone. You didn’t want to worry them. The feelings would go away. You knew they would.

Except they hadn’t. If anything, they’d grown stronger, and the flowers started to bloom more often. They’d start when Dave’s straight face would perk slightly into a smirk, or when you’d catch a glimpse of Dave’s red eyes from behind his glasses, or when Dave would put a friendly arm around you. Tonight they’d bloom during your movie night when Dave made fun of something happening on screen, when he’d brought you a drink without you asking, and when you could hear Dave’s soft breath after he’d fallen asleep somewhere between the fifth and sixth movies. And that was what led to this moment- you, hunched over the toilet in the bathroom, and your sister Jade standing with one hand on the door knob, gawking.

“What are you doing in here?” You hiss, managing to get your words out around the flowers still forcing themselves out of your throat.

“You left the door unlocked, stupid.” Jade sighs, closing the door softly and kneeling next to you, laying a light hand on your back. “Why haven’t you told anyone?”

“I thought they would go away.” You admit, but you realize how hopeless you sound and you can feel a hot blush creeping its way onto your face.

“Oh, John. You have to do something about this.” Jade’s voice quivers slightly. “How long has this been happening?”

“I.. I don’t know. Awhile.”

“ _John._ You know-“ her voice catches, but she continues. “-you know you could die, don’t you?”

“Ye- yeah. I do. I just didn’t want to worry anyone. I didn’t-“ you stop to cough up a few flowers. They’re slowing down. For now. “-I didn’t think it would get this bad. I thought that if I didn’t tell anyone, it would be okay. That I would just get over it, and that I wouldn’t have to feel like this anymore.”

“John, you couldn’t have truly thought that. They’re roses.”

She was right. And she knew you, with your interest in biology, would know it too. You both knew what the roses themselves represented. There were other types of flowers you could end up with, and they depended on what kind of love you were experiencing.

Daffodils were the most common, signifying an unrequited crush, and very rarely needed the corrective surgery. Teenagers like yourself got sick with them often, being that young love was quick to come and go.

 But roses… there was no coming back from roses. Roses signified a strong romantic love, and very few people recovered from them without the surgery. Very few got it, however, and it was common for those with that kind of unrequited love to die with it.

“You have to tell them.” Jade prompts, as if it hadn’t already occurred to you.

“Jade.” You mumble. “It’s Dave.”

You see her jump back a little, surprise sketched on her face. Then, she softens, and leans back toward you. “Oh, John.”

You nod. “Yeah.”

“Do you think there’s any chance at all? That’d he reciprocate?” She asks gently.

You shake your head. “No.”

“Isn’t it worth trying?”

You stare into the toilet bowl full of flowers, silent. You chew on your bottom lip silently, a few tears welling up in the corners of your eyes. You cough up a few more flowers before turning back to her.

“I can’t do it.”

She bites her own lip this time, worrying it and pulling her hand back to play with the reminders on her fingers nervously.

“So what do you want to do, then?” she asks nervously.

Suddenly, you wretch violently, a new wave of flowers blooming up and out of your mouth, worse than its ever been. You feel Jade move away quickly, and your left in the bathroom for a few moments with nothing but the sound of your own spluttering. Then, Jade’s hand is on your back again, rubbing soft but firm circles into your back. You hear your dad and you realize she ran to get him. You feel briefly embarrassed and upset but you realize what’s happening. The love you feel isn’t just getting worse. It’s started to actually kill you.

You can’t understand what anyone’s saying, but a few minutes later you feel yourself being lifted up and carried out, the roses falling onto your chest, and then the floor. You feel yourself being carried out of the bathroom, through the front door, and loaded into the car. You feel yourself being buckled in by shaky hands, and the roses continue, now falling onto the floorboard of the car.

They fall the entire time you’re in there, and then onto the ground again as someone unloads you from the car and carries you into the building. You’re vaguely aware of bright lights and the smell of antiseptic, and you hear a voice ask you “Do you want the surgery?”

The questions prompts even more flowers than you thought were possible out of your mouth, along with a heavy sob.

“The love will be gone, but so will the flowers. And you’ll be alive. But the love and memories will be gone.” You feel Jade whispers down to you. “Its your choice.”

You realize she’s the one carrying you, and manage to pry an eye open to look at her. Through everything you see her, and can make out tears in her own eyes. You look around, trying to understand whats going on, and you see Dave and your father standing on either side, both’s faces contorted, not meaning to hurt you, but unable to keep from expressing their pain. 

You don't want to forget Dave, or the love that you feel, but looking at Jade and your Dad, you know you can't die. You can't leave them like this.

You struggle to turn your head and face the nurse. She asks again, “Do you want the surgery?”

You nod slightly, and pass out.

…

 

When you wake up again, you’re in a hospital room, your family on one side and a boy with blonde hair and shades on the other. They stand up and rush towards you, asking how you feel and if you’re okay.

You smile, and sit up and nod. “I feel… great, actually.”

"I'm glad you're okay, bro." the boy says, giving a genuine smile. You don't know why, but you feel like that's rare.

Your smile falters. "I... I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

The boy recoils, his face clearly one of surprise. "It.. doesn't matter. Sorry to bother you. I'm gonna go."

You open your mouth to argue as Jade stops you, and you both watch him turn and run out of the room.

 

* * *

 "I;m glad you're okay, bro." You smile at him, relieved that he's okay. John's okay. He didn't die and he's here with you and he's okay.

 You see John's smile falter, and he says "I... I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" 

You feel your heart sink. Your smile drops. He isn't okay. This isn't okay. Why doesn't he remember you?

"It.. doesn't matter. Sorry to bother you. I'm gonna go."

You dash out of the room, and begin walking out towards the parking lot. You silently climb into the car you followed John’s dad in, ready to start up the engine, but the key doesn’t quite make it to the ignition before you start crying. You begin to cough, and as you reach a hand up as you feel something push its way up and out of your throat, landing softly in your hand.

When you pull away, you see single, bright blue rose.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for the flowers signifying different things from this post: http://prettiestskitty.tumblr.com/post/160247676816/i-got-into-the-hanahaki-disease-today-and-so-ive


End file.
